OCD

and just because I'm already addicted to my site meter (check the VERY bottom of the page and click on it.... big sister's watching you... and you and you and you....)
I've decided to make it easy for everyone really... with just a glance, you too can see who's reading.

renoxable energy?

I'm pretty sure this is my next vehicle... except I've been touting donkey power for some time now and I don't know that I'm ready to give that up...
I'm sure there's some course out there to teach me how to convert from oxen to donkey.... My dad took a course on how to convert to an electric motor once... I wonder if this was covered in there too?
My favorite part of this photo isn't the two guys in the cab, squint thru the dark and spot the real driver behind the ox.

I swear I saw a dragon...

ELLIOT!!!!!

A dragon a dragon, I swear I saw a dragon....

I wiped out impetigo on the banks of Buttermilk
Flu is under firm control in Powderhole
Terminus potions, tablets and lotions
Major news and modern science

Step up now and join my clients
Spent the day in Buzzard's Bay
They couldn't keep me there
Even turned away from Kingdom Hall
But since I was young, good Lord there's one spot
One little bit of Heaven on my tongue
Why it's...Poddamaquassy, no,
no...Paquamasoddy, no, Passamamassy, uh, Quoddamapoddy
p...p...Passamadaddy, uh, Quoddamapassy, uh, Passamahoddy?
Oh, I know! It's Passamashloddy!

Townsfolk:No, it's Passamaquoddy!

ok, just had to get that out of my system.

This past weekend I got to "experience" first hand, my first dragon boat race.... and, well... it was an experience for sure. I was on the "Dragonflies" team, the official CH team that is. We had six of our guys and six supporting staff... the team was hilarious. "Harvey" was (as usual) my charge for the day... And he was in fine form, yelling and looking for his girlfriend from the moment we arrived at the harbour. In tow were two other guys from the house, "Fred" and "the sheriff". The Sheriff was pretty stressed about some upcoming events and spent most of his time pacing back and forth and somehow getting in EVERYONE's way all at the same time. Fred... Was Fred. Kept asking me if I hated him, asking everyone around him if they hated him... He was doing great.
As we were getting on the boat, Harvey kept running into people he knew, which distracted him from getting on the boat, so it ended up our team was the last to leave the dock. He yelled at everyone he met "HAVE YOU MET MY GIRLFRIEND?!!!" and then would yell until he saw her... Then yell her position, then yell asking what they thought, then moved on to the next person. By the time we got on the boat my ears hurt! On the boat he yelled out "LIZBETH, YOU'RE GOING DOWN!!!!!" to which everyone laughed... But moments later he was yelling "LIZ.. YOU DON'T HATE ME DO YOU????" "CAN WE STILL GO OUT?"

Getting on the boat:: I need to take a moment to explain the process of getting on the boat.... We were at the loading ramp, which includes a floating dock... Floating docks can only hold so much weight... And when the weight all moves to one end... Or edge... That end or edge sinks. The population we serve isn't a light one.... Needless to say, the dock was nearly underwater when we made our way out to the boat.... We made it on without getting our feet too wet. As we settled ourselves into our seats a VERY heavy man walked to the end of the dock... The dock went under the water several inches.... And I saw this strange blur out of the corner of my eye... Didn't think much of it until we started to paddle away from the dock.

Now getting away from the dock should have been easy... But when half your paddlers are paddling in the wrong direction, or not paddling at all... Well.. It takes some time. As we pulled away the water started to drip onto my legs... "Wow" I thought, "I must be a really sloppy paddler, I'm splashing all over the place" and I reached down to wipe the water away......
it was then that I discovered what the blur from the dock was.... We were not alone.
I was covered in spiders.


We eventually made it to the start line, encouraging everyone to paddle forward... We waited for the horn to announce the start of the race, we'd been cuing everyone to what they should do, but as we waited, one more staff decided to ensure everyone knew... "What do we do when the horn goes?" the voice called out... And in reply, in a loud voice with a strong speech impediment called out what we needed to hear "WE WIN!"
In the end, it didn't matter that we came last, the guys had a great time, they felt great for getting their boat to the finish line, they were proud to hear everyone cheering for them, and they wore their medals and marched off thru the crowds.

I like coke

and I like mentos.
I like Milk too.


most of all, I've found my new favorite sitcom, made by the same above guys,
it's called "nobody's watching" pure cheese, poorly acted... but freakin' funny.
There are a few parts to that pilot episode, enjoy.

Backyard wildlife

When in your backyard you host an abandoned tannery (or any other decrepit factory left to rot). The wildlife of your neighbourhood will begin to take up residence in it.
In the past we've had countless raccoons (like those who created Australia in the past, and the ones that have created the USA (with fat Florida) just recently) innumerable skunks, rats, mice, and goodness-knows-what run past our home (or crawl onto our roof and chew their way in!).
Last night I went to go for my walk and was nearly run over.
By a fox.
A big one! With a HUGE tail. It was only two sidewalk squares away from me, and even then only because I hissed at it before it ran me over. I think I scared it pretty bad. It must have been distracted by something else to not have noticed me, and when it did, it leapt to the side and traveled down the sidewalk back towards the trainstation.

This morning I saw a coyote run across the road on my way to church, and a little further on the hyw, another... The second one was flat. And untouched... and I know it's been there for at least two days (b/c I passed it the other night) and it got me to thinking... Are scavengers not tasty to scavenge? I've never seen anything eating a dead seagull either.

speaking out against four-legged-ness

ok.

Go read yesterday's comment including the article about the four legged chicken...
ok, link to CBC to read it under the diversions section today...
then read the following.


Having worked in the hatchery for some time in the past (a year and a half's worth of spinning yellow fluff balls) I too have come across the amazing four legged bird.
Let it be put to rest however, that they aren't that uncommon- it's just that they don't usually make it to the barn.
I would say on an average day of hatch, we would have 2 to 3 birds go by with four legs... I saw a few with four wings... I've even seen one with two bodies (only one head though).
Everyone loves the surprise double yoke when they are making a fried egg... these chicks are the double yoke that didn't work out quite right...
These chicks don't usually make it to the farm. Instead, we stood around the carousel chuckling at the chick in question, if it was a really oddity (like the one with the extra body) we'd pass it around, some of the older women rolling their eyes, one slightly crazy woman would put it in her pocket to take out for a laugh a little later... but they all ended up in the same place.... They make really good spray-on fertilizer.

built like a barge

I'm sad to inform you all that the dog has fallen thru.
No dog.
Not that dog anyway.
Bethfield went out to pick it up this morning and took it for a walk. Turns out that it wasn't so fat after all. It was 75 pounds of really muscle-ly dog.
75 pounds of "drag-you-around-the-yard,-and-heaven's-knows-what-would-happen-if-it-swung-it's-giant-head-too-fast-in-the-house" really muscle-ly dog.
Not that type of dog....
I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

 

I'm getting a dog. OR Life lessons in joint custody

I've always wanted a dog.
I think I'll soon be sharing one.
he looks like this....
but he's fatter
so he's going on a diet
and he needs some brushing
so I get to play hairdresser
and he's still in the pound
but we're going there tomorrow.


More information to come... and now... off to the Lobster

that's dumb

I just saw a picture of someone wearing a shirt in Uganda that said "Mazoongu"
That's dumb.
If you're going to try to change things for the better by being there.... then try doing things for the better instead of engouraging dumbness.
(pet peeve) (I nearly made a shirt that said "my name is not Mazoongu" while I was there)

I found this great Luganda Language site... so You'd have a translation of "mazoongu". Unfortunatly there's no translation for that, but it was fun going thru the vocab lists to see what I still remembered. Go google it, maybe something'll come up.
Choka Bambi!

....

You know those days when you don't do much, but you get lots done?
I had one of those yesterday.
It was much needed. I could go for a few more of those.


After years of mocking me, it appears Bethfield has joined the ranks of Bloggers. Does this make it my turn to mock in return?

Lovely little umbrella

I've got this cute little umbrella, I think it was my mom's... It's printed with pansies all over it.
The weather network promises rain today. I've promised myself not to be in the rain for some time, SO. No zoo today.
Maybe next week.
I think that this morning, I just go for a walk, and end up at the Bean for the paper.
That sounds lovely.

circles and circles and circles again

I keep posting that I'm back, then I realize that I'm gone again.
I think that this (weekend) was the end of gallivanting for a bit.

Spent the weekend, goodness knows where, with my house group kids.... Right, I decided to help out with house after all- I've been wanting to help out somehow with a youth program again, and I got two calls in two days when I started the thought process... My only fear is that I'll get too wrapped up in Church culture and not spend enough time out of the bubble. BUT.. I LOVE my house group kids already. I was a little intimidated when I realized that all the groups were combined for this retreat- Ah! So many new people... SO MANY new names!
I was also a little intimidated because so many of them just think of me as "Dalton's Girlfriend" and just whatever that might mean to them... am I cool enough? Am I funny enough? Can I think up activities and be as excited about things? (obviously the answer is "EVEN MORE SO!") So yeah, I was a little stressed going into this event.
It went fine.
It takes time to build relationships and have good conversations, but I'm pretty happy with the whole weekend, I'm excited about some of the teens I connected with, and what we're going to learn together over the course of this year. I did get called "Dalton's Girlfriend" on two occasions, thankfully one time was a joke.... I think.... And I just had fun in general. I got to help make up this clue based scavenger hunt (not unlike the infamous Friesen Family Christmas game) that took the teams FOREVER to finish... I think I was gearing it more towards thinkers like VanDan or Crilly.... Not teens. Live and learn.... I wish someone had made the hunt up for me!
In keeping with tradition, I did NOT go waterskiing. Though the opportunity was there.. To try wake boarding too... Which I was leaning towards... Until I stuck my feet in the little lake... FRIG that thing was cold. There was NO way I was going in there... So instead, I rode bow on the boat. The best seat in the house.
So, now I'm home... I'll be around... Come hang out with me...
points to the namer of the title song quote.
drink for the one who can sing it to me.

Small town interests

Ok, we live in a small town.
Ok, small towns are fantastic... Except for the meddling. And the nose poking. Really... It's odd.
I was forwarded an email this week that just showed me the town is a little odd... It was a store that had ordered something for Dalton, but wanted his forwarding address. They sent the email to the Bethfields because they'd heard "he was staying at their house before he went to Ottawa" and that they were confused because they "thought he was going back out west for school."
Ok, I guess it's not that odd, but a store that keeps tabs on the sleep-overs of it's clients is a little out there....
Later this week, I received a phone call on the answering machine (I'd remembered to plug it in that day... Since I got back from camp, for some reason I can't have both plugged in at the same time???) It was from a missionary couple that I know... "Hello Lesley, just wanted to talk to you about that retreat..." I was a little confused... Till I turned on the computer and read the email from them "Not sure where you are in your relationship, but thought we'd better forward this on to you" the attachment was all about a pre-marital retreat they were hosting.... " (I sent them an email to put them straight)
However, there are the perks of a meddling small town... I don't have to place an order at Karaoke anymore, most of us don't, the waitress just brings the drinks... And this morning I went into the Bean, and the lady working there put my cookie in the bag before I was in the door... Unfortunately I'd only brought enough money for my coffee... Fortunately she decided to give it to me anyway!

The necessary lighter side....

So, my trauma for yesterday....
I was in Dollarama (traumatic enough for some people I know) and I was walking the aisles with an individual from work.... we reached the end of one and were confronted with the most terrible discovery.....
Christmas decorations have arrived at Dollarama.

poor choice on my part.

So I realized yesterday that I've become my regular girly cry-face again. I held it together really well for awhile there (Thanks Dolly).
But I think I've got to be careful as to what I listen to as I drive. When I drive I love to listen to the radio (CBC more specifically) I love that I'm traveling in this little capsule, visual stimulation keeping me awake, and the radio feeding me information. I think that's my problem in a school setting, I don't retain anything much as I'm not stimulated enough... hey, isn't that the sign of genius?
Anyway.
The only problem is sometimes CBC turns me into cry fest.
Especially the documentaries. There was one on an elderly couple that received support in a housing complex... blah blah blah, long story short, they'd been forgotten, they were found, all was well... I cried at the end. Last week.. two weeks ago? there was on one interracial adoption... I was fine till the end (um.. fine for the most part) when she hugged the blood mom the day she received her baby, and the lapel mic she was wearing picked up a heart beat..... nearly had to pull over on that one...
but yesterday was harder. They did a special live program from a community near Gander Newfoundland remembering the 9/11 tragedy, they were sharing the stories of the lives touched when several flights were diverted to Newfoundland.. the stories of people who hosted passengers on those flights.... I blubbered all the way to Manda's house. Thankful I didn't know anyone personally involved that day, and sad for those who did.

Last night was a shower put on by Mandamanda's family's home church... that's it, if I ever get married, I'm making sure I'm part of a large church family... talk about great gifts! (kidding!)

the craving

it's that time of year again... I need to go to the zoo.
shut it! I don't need to live there... I just need the visit.
Yesterday someone asked me what the draw was:: sitting, watching, listening, thinking, being.
I love the zoo.

the quill

PS. Did you read this month's Link mag? Check the sustainable living section

My new pen name:: Pa Sheff

It was hurried in it's creation, but I'm excited to see something in print.

Zombie

Ok, I'm recovering, I think I'm going to make friends with a massage place though this week, my back would quite like that.

little glimpses of what's happened this weekend.

It was emotional to say the least, so much was put into the festival by so many people.
I forget what the final count was on tickets sold, but it was well over a thousand.
Even with the rain, people came. Even with the wind, people came. Even with the hurricane, people came. Even when we shut it down, they came back the next morning.
That blew my mind.
I heard that it was the "five minutes till gate opens" over the radio, and I dragged myself up the hill to the main gate, just out of curiosity, and out of fear for what I'd see. There was a small group of already wet people waiting to be let in, and from nowhere, Kyle appeared with a set of bagpipes.
The volunteers nearby all lined up near the gate, creating a corridor for the visitors to come through, we begin to clap in time to the music, partly to keep ourselves warm, and clap at the brave souls coming back in for more. As the first of the returning (and NEW!) guests made their way through the gate with smiles on their face, it hit me. What the storm had tried to kill... Had made a spring back to life. More guests were still arriving, cars pulling in the lot, and there was a steady stream making it's way tward the gates.
Suddenly I couldn't see anything. All I could do was stand there and clap while my tears mixed with the rain, a silly grin on my face, blubbering from the relief and the joy.
I wasn't the only one.

school flash backs

This morning smells like school.
It smells like waiting at the bus stop early in the morning, shivering in the cold dew. Not wanting to switch to covered shoes, hanging on to that last week of flip flops and Birks.
Toes damp, backpack heavy.

SVFF

WHAT a weekend. I don't even know if I have the strength to put it into paraphrase. No matter what I write, you won't have even a glimpse of the heart and soul and breath that went into this weekend. You'll NEVER grasp the enormity of what we were just a part of, the joy we had, or feel the pain and heartbreak of it. And because of that, I don't want to write anything.
But I have to.
My head feels like it's going to explode... It's been so long since I've written. And I feel like if I even start to scratch the surface of it... I'll lose it.
My head feels like it's going to explode... I haven't slept much in the past week. And I feel like if I go to sleep, a real sleep, it'll all be over... and I want it to be just a little longer, I want that time to last a few more moments.
My head feels like it's going to explode... and my muscles are paining me, throbbing, waiting for that next chore crying to be completed.
My head feels like it's going to explode... I've watched death and rebirth of an event, and seen generations of history happening. I haven't even understood all that's gone on around me.
And my head feels like it's going to explode... I need water, but I've seen and sat in enough to be quenched for weeks.
361 Days till Shelter Valley.